Martha Jane Eddlemon, age 93, of Springfield passed away September 13, 2026. Martha Jane Stringer was born March 28, 1933 in Hoxie, Arkansas, and grew up in Willow Springs, Missouri, with her parents Sonny Lee and Josephine (Hurst) Stringer, younger brothers Buck and Bill, and a large extended family. After graduation from Willow Springs High School she married Martin Lee Eddlemon on the last day of 1950.

Moving to Springfield in 1953 when her husband became the sports editor for Springfield Newspapers, she raised four children, Sonie, Mark, Marcie and Mary, before continuing her education at Southwest Missouri State, earning a specialist degree in education. She began her long career with Springfield Public Schools as a home school counselor. She made a lasting impact guiding generations of students in the Springfield Public School system as a counselor at Reed Junior High School and Central High School.

She served as a highly respected past president and board leader for the Missouri High School Counselors Association (MSCA). She helped create the first school crisis teams across the state of Missouri. She received the District and State Counselor of the Year awards. Throughout her multi-decades career, she advocated fiercely for the formal education, proper training, and advancement of school counselors.

She was all about family, touching the lives of so many that we can only hope to list them all. An avid sports fan, she was a season ticket holder to MSU and Drury athletics and recently was thrilled when the Stringer Family was inducted into the Missouri Sports Football Hall of Fame. Preceded in death by her husband Marty Eddlemon, also a Sports Hall of Fame member, Martha loved to play golf, was an avid bridge player, loved to cook and could light up any room.

She was preceded in death by her husband Martin Eddlemon, brother Buck Stringer and sister-in-law Mary Stringer, grandson Derek Shultz, and daughter-in-law Debbie Eddlemon.

She is survived by her brother Bill and his wife Karen Stringer of Springfield, children and their spouses Mary and Joe Passeri of Springfield, Marcie and Brad Stallcup of Springfield, Sonie and Bill Trotter of Cabool and Mark Eddlemon of Marshfield, (grandchildren) Amy Widmeyer of Lincoln, Nebraska, Eddie Widmeyer, Highland, Michigan, Richard and Sarah Holland of Springfield, Gabriel Rauhoff of Turku, Finland, Kathleen Rauhoff of Springfield, Andrew and Francis Stallcup of Springfield, Erich and Jodi Stallcup of Springfield, Penelope and Allan Dunckel of Hawaii, Jeff and Jacque Shultz of Springfield, Katie Schultz of St. James, Bryce and Stephanie Trotter of Nixa, Zac Trotter of Cabool, Greg and Jessica Gilmore of Hannibal and Bryan and Adrian Minzies of Wheatland. And, as you can imagine, a passel of great grandkids.

There will be a visitation and celebration of Martha’s life from 6:30 until 8 p.m. on Wednesday September 16, 2026, at Gorman-Scharpf Funeral Home in Springfield. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to CASA.